“It could be worse,” the older woman said with a shrug.“Some of the buyers are mean.Cruel.You’re about thirty, no?They often prefer the younger ones.Teenagers.You are lucky not to be involved in everything that happens here.”
Luciana’s jaw dropped as she turned and left, clearly expecting Luciana to change and get ready.As Luciana gazed at the dress, fear snaked down her spine.She wasn’t expected to be a passive observer tonight.She’d just been told to bring women to her captors.To lure them in and be a crucial part of their twisted sex-trafficking scheme.
And if she refused or tried to run?
The consequences of disobedience were something she didn’t dare consider.
***
AN HOUR LATER, MUSICpulsed through the air, and Luciana teetered on her heels as she moved through the nightclub.The outfit she wore was nothing like what she’d choose in her old life.The dress was skimpy.Short.Clingy.There’d been lingerie in the shopping bag, too, and the push-up bra she’d been made to wear tonight displayed her cleavage.She’d been ordered by the older woman to apply makeup as well, and she now had on dark lipstick, heavy eyeliner, and tons of mascara.Although she fit in with the clientele here, she’d rather be almost anywhere else.Luciana felt uncomfortable and awkward in her own skin, and she glanced around, trying not to look overly conspicuous, less she be scolded by her captors.
She was barely recognizable all done up like this, looking nothing like she did during her humanitarian work as a nurse.That had probably been intentional, too.There was less risk to bringing her out in public in a disguise of sorts.
Much to Luciana’s surprise, three different men were with her tonight.Scarface and the second man weren’t around, and she had no idea where they’d gone.Regret churned through her stomach as tears smarted her eyes.She should’ve helped the teenagers, at least given them a louder warning and a chance to flee.
“Come on.”
The deep voice intruded her thoughts, and the man who’d been assigned to her for the evening urged her further into the nightclub.As he guided her forward, his hand slipped from her back to the curve of her ass.She jolted in surprise, and he merely chuckled.“I keep asking the boss for a turn with you,” he said lewdly.He gave her a little swat on the backside and edged closer as they moved through the crowd.“You’re older than he likes, but you’ll do just fine for me,” he continued with a dark chuckle.“Maybe we’ll have a little fun ourselves tonight.You’d like that, wouldn’t you?”
Luciana swallowed, trying not to let him intimidate her.He could hardly drag her off somewhere right now when she was tasked with rounding up women.Bile rose in the back of her throat.Everything about tonight was going from bad to worse.The pounding music, flashing lights, and dimly lit dancefloor were giving her a headache.Her stomach rumbled, and she recalled not for the first time that she’d been sick early this morning.It was both a blessing and a curse that she’d been locked in her room for most of the day to rest.
But this?
Being out in a crowd of people was overwhelming.Last night had been hard enough, but the alley had been dark and quiet.They’d been mostly hidden from sight, aside from the elderly woman she’d locked eyes with.Having so many people around tonight left her feeling rattled.
If she ran to a stranger, would they help her?
Luciana feared they wouldn’t, because the crowd likely knew that the men she was with were cartel members.They no doubt carried weapons.The locals stayed out of their business, knowing the police had little control.Aside from the cartel’s sick plot of selling women, they were still actively moving drugs as well.She’d overheard a conversation in the hallway and knew that large quantities of drugs were stored somewhere on the property, the men moving them in and out under the cover of night.
During her time in captivity, Luciana had assessed that she was in the home of one of the leaders.It was a large property, which she’d seen a bit of as they’d driven away from it the past several evenings.It had been dark out, but the vehicle’s headlights had lit up enough for her to get a basic understanding of where she was being held.The property was secluded, surrounded by land and woods.It was fenced in with a gate at the end of a long driveway.There were armed guards at the gate.If she somehow escaped the home, she doubted she’d get far or find help, given the property was so secluded.While she’d been injured and drugged when she’d first arrived at the home, she was far too aware of how grim her reality was now.
A few men eyed her appreciatively as they continued toward the bar in the nightclub, and Luciana bristled.The last thing she needed was more attention.They were looking at her as nothing more than an object and certainly wouldn’t come to her aid if she cried out for help.
One of the cartel members she’d arrived with strode toward them, smirking.He seemed to be the guy in charge tonight.“I’ve got a room in the back.I want that one in the red dress,” he said, nodding toward a young woman shimmying on the dance floor.“She could fetch a small fortune.Look at the way she moves,” he added with a chuckle.
“Si.We’ll go dance near her,” Luciana’s captor said.
“Bring her to me in the back room,” the ringleader said.He gripped Luciana’s chin, turning her head toward him as she trembled.“You’ll do as we say,” he warned.“I don’t want any trouble from you tonight,” he added before releasing her.
Luciana’s guard grabbed her ass again as she yelped in surprise, then he guided her toward the area where the woman in the red dress was dancing.The man’s arm snaked around Luciana’s waist, pulling her back to his front.She squirmed, and he tightened his hold, his arm like a vice.
“We will dance near her,” he said in a low voice, his lips at her ear.“Play along.Look like you enjoy dancing with me.We’ll bring her to the back room for some private fun.”
Luciana began to tremble, fear quaking through her.“I can’t,” she pleaded.
“You can and you will.You’re going to be quite valuable to us,” he added.“It’s always easier when they think they can trust a woman.Keeping you was worth the trouble.”
Luciana puzzled over that comment as he moved her toward their target.What trouble was it in keeping her when they literally kidnapped women off the streets?She was no different than the other girls, taken against her will.A wave of uncertainty coursed through her.She began to move stiffly to the music, forced to dance with her captor but feeling anything but in the moment.
Everything about tonight was horrifying.
The people around them danced and laughed, and Luciana felt somewhat dazed, like she was living in a dream and none of this was really happening.
A separate group of men approached the dance floor from the left, and the man holding her close as they danced bristled in annoyance.Luciana looked on with interest.Were they from another cartel?Angry locals?Undercover cops?
“Damn it.They’re here to cause trouble.This is our turf and our women.”
He moved her closer to the girl they wanted, and then somehow, they were dancing right beside her, Luciana’s captor complimenting the woman.“You are incredibly beautiful,” he told her, flashing a smile.She giggled but looked on with interest.“You should come with us to a private room,” he encouraged, giving Luciana a threatening squeeze.
